The Return of the King

by MisterEdd

Birthday

Closing the window and latching it shut, Twilight Sparkle slumped down into a wooden chair. She rubbed her face and took a sip of lukewarm tea, which had cooled down during her period of contemplation. Unfurling the scroll once more, she re-read it worriedly:

Dear Twilight,

I have noticed a visible change in Sombra's behavior and it's evident that your sessions with him are the cause. Nopony else could've performed the service you have and for that I am very proud of you. However, you must put your meetings with him on hiatus, for the time being. As of late, Sombra has been feeling unwell and has asked that you not see him until he is in a better state of mind. Please be patient. I will promptly send word to you as soon as he is well.

Your friend,

Princess Celestia

Two weeks had passed since that letter was delivered and Twilight was really starting to worry. Sometimes mere days would sometimes pass between visits but weeks? If Sombra was in emotional distress, then she must be there to help him. She rolled up the scroll and carefully filed it along with the other Princess Celestia letters. Even with her special somepony (?) in trouble, that didn't mean she would just toss away a letter carelessly.

"I want to help but Princess Celestia told me to wait."

Yes, she TOLD you, not ORDERED.

"That's true, but-..."

But nothing! Are you or aren't you the Princess of Friendship?

"I am."

So what are you going to do?

Twilight stood up, now reinvigorated by her increasingly-troubling internal monologues. There was a pattern to Sombra's affliction. He was in an especially bad place and it only started two weeks ago. What was it that set him off? Frantically pouring over her notes, she sorted through them until hitting upon the solution and felt her heart sink.

"Oh no."

According to the information that Twilight had gathered from the Royal Archives, today was the birthday of one Princess Garnet Nesosilica. She knew Sombra felt extreme guilt over Garnet's as-yet-unrevealed fate, so it'd make sense that the ex-king would fall into such a melancholic state. So what did happen to the Crystal Princess? The history books and official records state that she went missing around the time of Sombra's reign and Twilight, personal feelings aside, didn't believe for a single second that the umbrum had her killed or performed the deed personally. Despite his many faults, Sombra had loved his adopted sister; Twilight could see it in his eyes whenever her name was brought up.

Deciding on a course of action, Twilight sped out the door, completely ignoring Spike's inquiries, and galloped full-speed to the only pony she knew that could help in such a time. Sugarcube Corner practically glowed like a beacon and Twilight raced towards it without a second thought. The bakery was adequately busy, with several booths and tables occupied by ponies either lost in conversation or stuffing their faces with confectionaries. Pinkie Pie zipped across the room and bounced in place not two feet away from Twilight, her ever-present grin lighting up her face.

“Hiya Twilight! What can I do you for?”

“Hey Pinkie. Listen, I know this is short notice but I need you to help me plan a small party-..."

Pinkie's smile widened to a supernatural degree. "You had me at 'party'! Is it a retirement party? A surprise party? A party-party? If it's an office party, then I could rig a party cannon to-..."

A purple hoof silenced Pinkie's high-speed babbling. "It's nothing major. I just need help setting up a small party for...." She leaned in and whispered, "...Sombra."

The pink mare stopped bouncing. "Sombra?!"

"Shhhh!" Twilight wrapped a foreleg around Pinkie's shoulders and pulled her in. "Yes, Sombra. He's been very depressed lately and I was hoping you could cheer him up. Today is his sister's birthday and I thought that maybe a small party would lift his spirits. What do you say?"

"What do I say? Let's get baking!"

~*~

Passing between his stone-faced brethren, Flash Sentry silently wove his way down into the bowels of the dungeon, the only sounds being the shifting clacking of his armor, the thudding of his hooves and the squeaks of the food chart that he was navigating. So far, guarding King Sombra wasn't exactly what he'd pictured when he volunteered for the job. Oh sure, he knew that the prisoner would be difficult, spiteful even, if their first meeting was of any indication. The past two weeks, however, were off for him. Rather than psychoanalysis or petty insults, the former king's interactions with Flash depended on his mood.

Some days saw Sombra gloomy but semi-civil, curtly thanking Flash for bringing him his meals before ushering in an hour of prolonged silence. Other times, he screamed at the pegasus to leave, punctuating his foul mood by launching something at Flash and swearing in his native tongue at the top of his lungs. What scared Flash the most however, were the moments he'd walk in to find Sombra curled up on his cot, his head between his hooves as he sobbed into his pillow.

This whole experience was surreal to say the least. Ever since the reemergence of the Crystal Empire, everypony had heard tales of King Sombra's cruelty from the transparent-skinned ponies, from his savage takeover to the thousand-year curse he placed upon them. Now that same pony was locked up and suffering from mood swings that consisted of violent anger to despondence. It was possible that Sombra suffered from bipolar depression but why only now did it manifest?

Flash descended further down the twisting corridors of Canterlot Castle's subterranean catacombs until arriving at the dungeons, the doorway guarded by four unicorn guards, two on each side. They performed a thorough check of both Flash and the cart before sending him through. As much as he understood security protocols, he admitted that this was getting tedious. After all, they'd known him for years and thus would have no reason to question his motives. Then again, Golden Shield, Thunderhead and Swift Spear served twice as long as he did and look how they turned out.

The room was dimly lit by soft torchlight and Flash had to strain his eyes a little to make out the stallion curled up in one corner of the cell. Thankfully, he didn't look to be in a defensive mood, so this put the pegasus at ease as the cart came to a stop. Unsurprisingly, the tray from lunchtime remained just outside the bars, the soup and bread untouched and the cup of water still full. For the past three days, Sombra refused to eat or drink anything but Flash still brought him sustenance, if only to show that he was indeed still doing his job. He replaced the old tray with the new one, which featured a spinach casserole and a fresh cup of water.

"Take it away," the shape in the corner murmured.

"Ah, so you are still alive. Look, just eat this and-..."

Sombra sat up slowly and shook his head. "No. I'm not eating. I will not break my fast."

Flash quirked an eyebrow. "'Fast'? Why are you fasting?"

Tired red eyes met his blue ones. "Penance," Sombra stated and laid back down, indicating that he was no longer in a talkative mood.

"So, um..."

Sombra rolled over to stare at Flash. Even laying down, the umbrum was physically imposing.

"Do you mind if I have it?"

A half-committed shrug was all the answer that Flash required before he dug into the casserole, which was actually quite well-made and fresh-tasting. He'd eaten a rather small lunch and was thankful for the meal, not even caring about the company he had presently. Licking his lips, Flash peered over at the prisoner and mulled over his words very carefully before speaking.

"Listen, I know all about you...and Twilight. The two of you....together."

Silence.

And then: "Is that so?"

"Yes. And that is, at least partially, why I volunteered."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Sombra's lips. "You wanted to size me up?"

Flash nodded. "Pretty much, plus I thought it'd help my career." He sighed and set aside his tray. "Look, I'm not stupid. I know Twilight broke up with me because she still had-has-feelings for you. And I'm trying to be mature about this-..."

"Because you're in love with her."

Flash blinked in confusion. "Am I really that obvious?"

"Not to a certain purple alicorn," Sombra stated as-a-matter-of-fact.

"Yes, that I can see," Flash muttered. "Even if she never returns my feelings, I promised myself that I'd always be there to look after her, as her friend and servant."

He expected cruel, belly-deep laughter or insults. Instead, what he got was:

"Then you're a bigger stallion than I."

Okay, he had not expected that.

Sombra stood up and sluggishly made his way to the cell door. "I mean it. If our places were reversed, then I'd be an angry, inconsolable mess and plot out the most horrendous ways of ending you."

"Um...thanks? I guess."

Neither one of them spoke, instead allowing the stillness of the moment overtake them. When Flash had woken up that morning, he hadn't anticipated having a moment with his prisoner and romantic rival.

Sombra basically said that he respects me...sort of. Apart from the revenge-plotting part, he was quite rational and well-mannered. Must be the lack of food or something.

His ruminations were interrupted, however, when the dungeon door slammed open and a pink ball of spastic energy shaped like a mare came galumphing in. He was only vaguely familiar with Pinkie Pie: Element of Laughter, Ponyville baker and one of Twilight's closest friends. In all honesty, she kind of scared him, even more so than Sombra. At least Sombra was powerless and locked up. Pinkie was...on a whole other level.

Probably a rogue experiment of Discord's or something.

Said defier of physics (and logic) had pulled in a cart that held a three-tiered chocolate cake with red icing and green sprinkles. A yellow pegasus entered, who Flash remembered was named Fluttershy, who was toting a smaller cart filled with cups, plates, forks and jugs of what Flash assumed to be punch. She was followed by none other than Twilight Sparkle, a record player suspended in her raspberry aura. He turned to see that Sombra was also watching the display with confusion and it helped him somewhat to know that they were both equally dumbfounded.

"Twilight...what is all this?" Flash asked once the record player was carefully set down.

The purple mare beamed. "Hey Flash. I figured since today was Sombra's sister's birthday, we'd throw a little party to celebrate." She looked past him and her ears folded back. "If that's okay?"

All eyes were on Sombra. He glanced at the party supplies, then at the faces of the newcomers and then away. After a minute, he nodded hesitantly.

"I believe that it'd be 'okay.'"

"Then let's party!" Pinkie shrieked excitedly and switched on the record player. A quick-paced jazz song echoed throughout the room as she bounced around with a series of audible squeaks. She shifted to her hindlegs and rolled her forelegs around each other counter-clockwise, her hips swinging to the beat.

Well, at the very least she can dance. Unlike....

Twilight, meanwhile, kicked one hindleg at a time, bobbed her head wildly and punched the air, doing a pretty good imitation of an elderly mare that had muscle cramps and was also being attacked by fleas. Where she learned to dance was a complete mystery but the even bigger mystery was why nopony had ever bothered to correct her. Sombra watched with amusement, swaying in his cell and cheering the mare on.

Fluttershy nodded her head around and gently swayed to the music, keeping her movements as minimal as possible. There was an odd sort of awkward grace to her movements, as if she were a professional that was trying to restrain herself. It was a shame; Flash thought that she was a sweet and lovely mare that could so much more if only she wasn't so scared and self-conscious all the time. He joined her on the "dance floor," offering up a smile as he mimicked her movements. Just as he'd hoped, Fluttershy's stress began to deteriorate and she loosened up, allowing herself to relax and enjoy the dancing.

Pinkie was bouncing around on her mane and tail. "This is great! If there were two of me, the fun would be doubled! Oh wait, there was that incident with the Mirror Pool so never mind!"

Sombra stared at her. "The what-now?"

~*~

Well, this was unexpected to say the least.

Sombra never imagined that a party be held in the dungeon, let alone thrown in honor of his deceased adoptive sister's birthday. As much as he was loathed to admit it, he was actually having fun. It'd literally been centuries since he last danced and for a thousand-year-old, he felt as though he was doing quite well. This made him feel...normal, if only for a little while.

Pinkie zipped up to his face excitedly. "Soooo.....Did I do a good job? Did, did I, did I?!"

Sombra blinked. As strange as the mare was, a feeling akin to affection warmed his heart and he found himself smiling broadly, making Pinkie's own clownish grin widen even further.

"You did. And as for our last encounter, I....apologize for my behavior."

A pair of forelegs coiled tightly around Sombra's barrel. He was gobsmacked to discover Pinkie had somehow entered his cell...right as he was talking to her and was now squeezing him in a death-grip hug.

"Awwww, Sombry, there's no need to apologize! I've already forgiven you but thanks anyway!"

Faust, she's strong!

Lifting Pinkie up into his chest, Sombra reciprocated her embrace while being mindful of his own strength. He didn't want to hurt her-if such a thing were possible-and it'd look bad on him if he'd injured one of Twilight's friends as well as an Equestrian national hero.

"Aw, this is nice...oh look, cake!"

And just like that, she was gone, appearing on the other side of the room by unknown means, shoving a slice of cake too big for her face right into her mouth.

Black magic...it's some foul, forbidden art of some kind.

Sombra shook his head and swiveled to watch the purple mare twisting and locking in some imitation of dancing.

Yes, Twilight danced as though getting stung by hornets, but Sombra didn't care one bit, instead savoring the carefree spirit in her motions. Rising to his hindlegs, he stomped the ground with his hooves and clapped along with the melody, as strange as it was. His hindlegs crossed and uncrossed as he leapt in place, clapping his front hooves above his head. He was so caught up in his choreography, that he almost missed Twilight jerkily dance-fight her way over to him.

"Are you doing alright?" Twilight giggled. "It looks like you were bitten on the flank by a horsefly."

Not breaking from his routine, Sombra replied, "What? The glaðurdans is a tradition of my people."

Twilight observed him and then attempted to mimic his actions, shockingly managing to perform quite well. The pair danced close to one another and if the metal bars were absent, they'd be connected chest-to-chest. Their movements slowed, their bodies becoming almost stationary. Sombra gently pulled Twilight into an embrace and gently began to rock back and forth. She placed her forelegs around Sombra's neck, hopping up on the tips of her back hooves.

"Twilight?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you. For everything."

She nuzzled his cheek and whispered, "You're welcome, Sombra."

Even when the music ended and the next song came on, they continued to slow dance, stuck in their own little world, oblivious to anything or anypony else. No bars, no drama. Just each other.

Comments

[Crystal Night]

That's foul play and a very poor excuse Celestia. Somehow I got a slight feeling that she was watching the whole thing.

[MisterEdd]

10072717
Molestia sees all....

[Vael]

10073429
Please don't remind me of Molestia... shudders